^ Interesting! Still have seen it, though. Some people tell me Convoy is Peckinpah’s worst, some tell me it’s a ton of fun - in any case it’s a Peckinpah so I should get around to watching it sometime.
It’s a truckload of fun! 
Quite a truckload, but not much fun as far as I am concerned.
Some nice cinematography though, and not worse than most other things he did in the last phase of his career.
No no no no no, great film, very well directed, a few stupidities, but who cares, some compromises, lots of fun, QT approved, many typical Peckinpah themes in a lighter manner than usual, amazing ending, great editing, fine cinematography, good score, well acted, better than T2, and several popes don’t like Convoy.
Résumé : highly recommended, especially on Christmas Eve
What is T2?
Terminator 2
The sugar coated sequel with the nice-little-kid syndrome
It seems Stanton and me absolutely agree on Convoy and Terminator 2 
Why the general consensus is that T2 tops T1 is one of the mysteries of cinema to me.
[quote=“Stanton, post:126, topic:1805”]Terminator 2
The sugar coated sequel with the nice-little-kid syndrome[/quote]
Ah, Terminator 2. Thought you were referring to a Peckinpah movie.
Don’t remember that much about T2, only that it was very noisy and had one good scene of Doomsday (war against the machines or something); saw it in cinema and never went back to it on VHS, DVD or anything. The first movie was okay, good use of the time travel idea, and Arnie convincing as a machine.
Well, I’ll have to watch it sooner rather than later, this pun sold me on it!
You’ll get restless after a few minutes, second-guessing yourself for attempting to watch it straight-through. The ‘usual’ cast of Peckinpah support-actors aren’t there (Bo Hopkins, Dub Taylor, Slim Pickens, L.Q. Jones, Strother Martin, etc.). And Convoy’s script desperately needs them.
The stereotypes are appalling.
You’ll begin wishing that Borgnine was the hero, versus truckers that are bullying people off the road. Peckinpah assumes that the entire audience is ‘anti-cop’, when in-reality troopers would be sympathetic toward expectant fathers rushing to get home to pregnant wives/gf’s… just giving them a verbal warning.
I know, Borgnine’s and Kristofferson’s characters have a history of clashing. Peckinpah should’ve depicted that instead.
I’m half way through watching Peckinpah’s TV series, The Westerner and I have to say it is probably the best Western TV series of it’s time that I’ve ever seen. Short episodes (about 25 minutes each) but so well written and made. And although it’s a series, each episode could stand alone I think; like a series of short stories involving the same lead character rather than a continuing narrative. So far, apart from Peckinpah of course, there have been episodes directed by Andre de Toth and Ted Post as well as a little no line cameo from Warren Oates as a saloon drunk which was a happy surprise.
Apart from the quality there is also a surprising variety of tone from one episode to the next. You don’t know if you are going to get a tight drama or warm comedy. (John Dehner tends to feature in the comedies in a recurring role as Brian Keith’s nemesis/friend and these are really very good).
Couldn’t recommend these highly enough.
I watched a few Peckinpah-directed episodes as well a while ago, after Stanton had mentioned them. They were quite good, the kind of Peckinpah I like.
I had the idea that the short length of the episodes was an advantage. Maybe Peckinpah was a sort of Checkov or Maupassant: their art worked best within a short format (short stories or novellas). Even Peckinpah best movies often have slow stretches or parts that are far less impressive than others; on the other hand his minor efforts often have very good individual scenes.
All episodes are on YouTube at the moment (apart from the pilot, which was made a year earlier for another producer), and they are really very good, in parts even excellent.
They are cut like theatrical features with unusual camera angles and movements, with very atmospheric (and dirty and used) looking costumes, in parts even with bizarre aspects often associated with SWs. There are also other unusual aspects of storytelling you find rarely in early 60s westerns. One episode starts in the middle of a fistfight, in another scene you see a saloon from the outside, then a gunshot is audible, and then it cuts into the inside where a man hit by a bullet totters around.
Very entertaining stuff.
Apart from the episodes Peckinpah directed himself I recommend Line Camp, which was written and directed by Tom Gries, and which is some kind of forerunner of his later western Will Penny.
The episodes Dos Pinos, Ghost of a Chance and The Old Man are also very good.
The hero is btw not that much of a hero but more a “real” person, one who acts often selfish, is not always honest, in parts greedy, and is generally not the brightest man on god’s earth.
Thanks, didn’t know they were available on You Tube, I’ll start with S01E02
About a year or so ago, someone over on the sampeckinpah.com forums posted that Twilight Time were trying to license the series for a home video release (they did secure Noon Wine after all). However, I haven’t heard anything since.
In the Uk they were all broadcast on a newish channel (only a few months in business) called Talking Pictures TV. It’s a free channel via Freeview HD (channel 81) and through the usual Sky/Virgin) packages although for some reason not through regular Freeview. It has quickly become my favourite channel as it broadcasts almost exclusively old British B movies from the 1950s and 60s with some from the 30s and 40s and the occasional gem from the 70s too. The only exceptions are a few old TV series of which The Westerner has been one. If you live in the UK and have a weakness for old British films as I do it is an absolute treasure trove.
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Phil, was the pilot also aired?
Was that the episode titled “Jeff”?
No, Jeff is the first of the season.
The pilot is called Trouble at Tres Cruces.
I haven’t watched it either. So far.
If anyone knows where I can download it, send me a smoke signal …